Online short-video platform touches Chinese hearts with a long TV ad

Kuaishou, a China-based platform used to share short videos, recently made an impression on Chinese people with what is reportedly the longest ad ever to air in a prime spot between the CCTV's main newscast and its weather forecast.

With a tagline that translates to 'Show your love to lovely China on Kuaishou', the film shows a series of slice-of-life stories—a boy persevering through a painful gymnastics practice, a rural man who finds a special way to mark his wife's birthday, a folk-music band taking a chance on a new style, a father chasing after his daughter's bus as she leaves home year after year. Full-screen shots are interspersed with vertical-video snippets showing how these events and others look when viewed through the Kuaishou app. It all adds up to a moving and effective celebration of the spirit of the Chinese people.

The creative company is SGAD+ and the director is Dapeng Zhang, who also made the memorable 'What is Peppa Pig' for China Mobile a year ago.

The video above is an online version, which has slightly different narration than the TV version. A 45-second version will also be broadcast during the Spring Festival Gala. 

Ad Nut is grateful to Campaign China editor Cindy Gu for her patient explanations of many aspects of this campaign. Ad Nut needs to learn Mandarin.

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.